Virginia Rent Relief portal to close to new applications on May 15
The Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP) is closing its application portal to new or renewing applications at 11:59 p.m., May 15, 2022.
Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) requires a prioritization of assistance for households with incomes less than 50 percent of area median income or households with one or more individuals that have not been employed for the 90-day period preceding the date of application. Any application submitted after April 21, 2022 will be prioritized based on these criteria, then processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Through March 31, the Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP) has processed and disbursed more than $713 million in 141,330 rent relief payments for more than 104,990 unique households throughout Virginia. The program was created to keep tenants stably housed and landlords whole on payments during the pandemic.
DHCD will continue to work with partners and stakeholders across the state to create comprehensive strategies to increase the supply of affordable housing, address and prevent evictions and reduce barriers in housing throughout the Commonwealth.
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RRP user guides are available in 10 other languages. See below to access.
English | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Amharic | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Arabic | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Chinese | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
French | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Korean | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Persian | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Spanish | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Tagalog | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Urdu | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
Vietnamese | Landlord User Guide | Tenant User Guide
RRP Application Prioritization
Equitable distribution of rental assistance throughout Virginia is a guiding principle of the Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP). Prioritization is given to households who are currently facing eviction, whose income is at or below 50% Area Median Income (AMI), and/or include an adult who has been unemployed more than 90 days. Out of the households that have received payments since the inception of the program (as of July 1, 2021), more than 79% of all households are at or below 30% of area median income.
In addition, DHCD seeks to promote RRP within historically economically disadvantaged communities. As of July 1, 2021, RRP data shows that of those who identified their race, Black households account for almost 52% of those served, and white households account for 23% of those served. Over 67% of households served have included children under 8 years old. To support this effort, DHCD has initiated the RRP Outreach and Engagement grant to strategically assist households and landlords who have limited access to the Internet or are not able to complete the online RRP application due to accessibility and language barriers.
Chesterfield County and Fairfax County Residents
Note: Chesterfield County and Fairfax County are administering separate local programs. Chesterfield County's Rent and Utility Relief Program provider, ACTS, has received requests for rental assistance in excess of the available resources from the U.S. Department of Treasury. ACTS has closed the application portal to ALL new requests unless additional resources are made available, and will continue to distribute the program’s remaining funds until all funds are expended. All households that submitted an application prior to December 14, 2021, will be contacted by an ACTS caseworker with an update on the status of their application and availability of resources. Other emergency financial assistance resources are available through the Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Department of Social Services, visit https://www.chesterfield.gov/569/Social-Services, email the department, or call 748-1100.
RRP Marketing Toolkit
Please use any materials from this Marketing Toolkit with your members/group to help raise awareness that rent relief is available for those affected by the pandemic. You can print or email the flyers and infographic and send to your members or constituents. You may also download social media assets and post to your social media accounts to help spread the word. You will see a small ‘download’ icon in the upper right-hand corner of the materials, as well as an alert that pops up. Click OK and it will navigate to that page on the website.
RRP Marketing Toolkit
RRP Landlord Flier | RRP Landlord Fliers in Multiple Languages
RRP Tenant Flier | RRP Tenant Fliers in Multiple Languages
RRP Infographic
RRP Application Tips Graphic
RRP Social Media Graphics (English)
RRP Social Media Graphics (Spanish)
